Best excuse for failing a test.

[DrLeftover]

The painting reputed to make students fail exams

Sir John Franklin's fabled Arctic ship that vanished more than 160 years ago was found this week. But a painting related to its mysterious demise hanging in one university has been haunting exam students for decades, writes Tom Heyden.

"The polar bears made me do it," are the eeriest words to emerge from the urban legend of Edwin Landseer's painting - a grisly depiction of two polar bears hanging at Royal Holloway, University of London. Since the first exams were taken there in the 1920s and 1930s, it's been a painting associated with failure. "If you sit directly in front of it in an exam, you will fail - unless it's covered up," goes the myth, according to the college's curator Dr Laura MacCulloch.

The painting of two polar bears devouring a ship's remains - as well as those of the humans onboard - was inspired by the mysterious disappearance of Sir John Franklin, who led two ships and 129 men to their doom in 1845 trying to chart the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. The macabre spectacle is probably enough to distract even the most conscientious student. But bad luck rumours started almost immediately. There's an obvious connection to failure, says MacCulloch. I'm going to fail my exam just like they failed to find the Northwest Passage, one might conclude - and then I'll get eaten by a polar bear.

In the 1970s, fear of the curse reached fever pitch, says MacCulloch, when a student point blank refused to be seated near it. "The poor registrar, who just wanted to get this exam underway, ran off and tried to find the biggest thing that she could to cover the picture," she says. It turned out to be a massive union jack flag. Ever since, the same flag has adorned the painting every year during exams.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-29175003


What's yours?

 

[Jazzy]

To be honest, I could never come up with an excuse. If I failed then I didn't study enough.

 

[Damian]

Never needed an excuse, I've hardly failed any exams.

 

[Dee]

Too tired, not a good test taker, didn't study enough. They're not really excuses, but more explanations add to why I would have failed anything.

 

[~KAGE-008]

Personal issues which led me to not be motivated. Not an excuse, but it was true in my case.

 

[Jazzy]

Personal issues which led me to not be motivated. Not an excuse, but it was true in my case.

Hope this has improved for you now.

 

[Nebulous]

Never needed an excuse, I've hardly failed any exams.

school was never really a challege for me.

 

[DrLeftover]

The best excuse I ever had also gave me another chance to take the test.

In Jr College I went into the classroom and picked up a test and one of those blue answer books (do they still use those?) and went and found a seat and started to take the Mid Term Exam in Economics.

Some of the stuff on the test paper looked a little familiar, but not that familiar. I struggled my way through and went and turned it in.

Then the professor at the front looked at me and said "Aren't you in the 101 class?"

"Yes, sir."

"This is the exam for Macro."

I was exactly one day early for my test.

I went home and Studied! And I did pass the test the next day.

 

[Webster]

To be honest, I could never come up with an excuse. If I failed then I didn't study enough.

I was the same way, Jazzy; as much of a bookworm as I was back then, if I failed a test, I really didn't have anyone to blame but myself.